Dogs Can Become Sick What To Watch For

Next to cancer; bloat in dogs is the second leading cause of death in dogs. Most symptoms can be hard to narrow down such as: general restlessness, lack of appetite, reduced bowel movements, dry-heaving (dog tries to vomit, but can't), hunched appearance (visualize the dog trying to raise the middle part of their back high up in the air), or the dog simply will not sit or lie down.

Other symptoms of bloat in dogs will make you quite aware that immediate intervention is necessary such as: sudden collapse, thick foam on their mouth when the temperature is cool, bright red white or blue gums, or if your dog stands with it's legs spread wide in obvious discomfort.

Causes

Just as people can become bloated for any number of reasons, so to can dogs. Unfortunately nature is far less forgiving to canines than us.

See the bullet points below for a list of common causes that can create bloat in dogs:

Stress -- If there are no other physical or environmental factors that can cause your dog to become bloated, stress can cause problems for any dog of any breed, size, or eating habits.

Eating Habits -- feeding your dog foods other than protein rich, low carbohydrate formulations can result in gas. Foods high in acid content like fruits, vegetables, sauces, etc. can all cause problematic bloat in dogs. Some dogs tend to eat and drink way too fast which doesn't allow their food to move down to their stomach properly (elevating their food and watering dish 4 - 6 inches off the ground should help this problem).

Hereditary Predisposition and/or Physical Build -- Dogs with a narrow build, overly large build, overweight/underweight: The list goes on and on...anything that could be considered abnormal including advanced age or dogs that don't reach their breeds size potential are predisposed to gastrointestinal problems.